With an increasing number of consumers – and particularly those under the age of 25 –  expecting customer service through social media channels, brands have a new and highly visible opportunity to turn negative sentiment into public and positive advocacy.

Successful social customer service, however, treads a fine line; if the brand takes too long, or instead chooses not to respond, then what begins as an isolated incidence of negativity can quickly snowball.

Never is this truer than in the eye of a PR storm.

A recent example of this is Claire’s Accessories’ decision not to respond to fan accusations that the company has copied multiple jewelry designs from independent firm, Tatty Devine.

This is the second time that this type of allegation has been thrown at the brand – and the second time the brand has chosen not to engage with the large volume of fans addressing the issue on Twitter and Facebook, with a number of fans accusing the company of going as far as deleting their Wall posts.

As a result of widespread Twitter speculation the story has spilled over into highly visible online news sites; the search legacy of which will provide a subsequent impact in sentiment for the brand.

Similarly, supermarket chain, Tesco, also chose not to respond to online customer complaints, when the company withdrew its support for Gay Pride. User experience company, Webcredible, found that in the post-Christmas period, 66% of tweets surrounding the chain largely related to Gay Pride and were negative in sentiment.

While an explanation or apology might not fix the problem, it certainly goes some way towards showing the customer that a brand is not only listening, but learning from its mistakes.

If you would like to find out more about the way social media is reshaping the relationship between customers and brands, then immediate future MD, Katy Howell, is speaking at The Social Customer 2012 conference in London on March 29.

For details and to find out how to claim immediate future’s exclusive 10% discount contact info@immediatefuture.co.uk.

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We love this recent infographic from the guys Our Social Times. With more than 57% of consumers searching online to solve customer service issues, it’s an area that just can’t be ignored.

Consumers are increasingly turning to social to solve queries and resolve grievances

If you would like to find out more about the way social media is reshaping the relationship between customers and brands, then immediate future MD, Katy Howell, is speaking at The Social Customer 2012 conference in London tomorrow, 29 March 2012.

For further details and to find out how you can still claim immediate future’s exclusive 10% discount contact info@immediatefuture.co.uk.

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A few weeks ago Econsultancy reported that just 11% of retailers use social media channels to respond to customers; while 81% of businesses use the channels for marketing purposes.

Pair this with the fact that 46% of consumers expect great customer service online, not to mention 78% of consumers as reported by Parature, believe social media will become the prominent method for consumers to communicate with companies and something has gone awry.

As Econsultancy outlines, this may be largely impacted by the legacy of ageing CRM systems and the office – and contact centre – culture of prohibiting social media usage during work hours.

Perhaps more impactful is the fear that social customer service is somewhat of a Pandora’s Box of unknown resourcing requirements that can make it difficult to know where to start.

To make navigating that Pandora’s Box a little bit easier, we’ve outlined three key considerations, to help get your brand started on the right course.

1.     Set your service levels

Before committing to social customer service, it is important to put a Service Level Agreement (SLA) in place. Your contact centre may operate Monday to Friday between 9-5pm, but your social platforms never sleep. You need clearly defined operational hours and these need to be visibly displayed on any platforms customers engage with; the Twitter bio and the Facebook info sections can be utilised for this.

2.     Get a handle on resourcing

Consider the resourcing implications and handling times. Use a monitoring tool to audit your online customer conversations and this will give you an estimate of the volumes you can expect. The handling time will vary by platform but you will need to gauge the resource needed to handle an individual customer interaction on social media to help you build up a more solid picture of the head-count you might need to manage it. You will also need to consider whether your PR and marketing teams refer enquiries into your customer care team, or whether your customer care team engage directly. If this is the case, then additional training will be required.

3.     Set expectations

Finally, consider the outputs. At the very least social customer service should offer a mechanism for funnelling additional customers into the contact centre; at best it is a very visible means of turning detractors into brand advocates.

If you would like to find out more about integrating social media into customer service, then immediate future Principal Consultant, Katy Howell, is speaking at The Social Customer 2012 conference in London on March 29.

For details and to find out how to claim immediate future’s exclusive 10% discount contact info@immediatefuture.co.uk.

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Lying low isn’t an easy thing for brands to do on social media, particularly when it comes to the young and socially savvy customer.

According to a recent study by Sitel, 15% of 16-24 year-olds in the UK use social media as their preferred channel for resolving customer service issues; while 7% say that venting on social media is the first thing they do when faced with a faulty product.

This compares with only 8% of 25-34 year-olds who cite social media as their preferred channel for customer care; and drops off to just 3% for the over 35s.

In the accelerated world of social media the need for fast customer response times is amplified, particularly by younger demographics , born and bred on social media and with high expectations of quick reactions and – where possible – resolutions from brands.

Judging by the low statistics, social customer service is still very much in its infancy. Which can only mean one thing; it’s going to get bigger.

The current volumes of online customer complaints are a mere fraction of the levels they will reach as the 16 year-olds of today – not to mention every generation to follow them – come of age.

Customer care through social channels will shift from a nice-to-have to a critical necessity.

If you would like to find out more about the way social media is reshaping the relationship between customers and brands, then immediate future MD, Katy Howell, is speaking at The Social Customer 2012 conference in London on March 29.

For details and to find out how to claim immediate future’s exclusive 10% discount contact info@immediatefuture.co.uk.

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